As far as romantic comedies go, we, as an audience, have come to expect a certain predictability to them.‘ Adam and Steve is a perfect example of fitting that mold.‘ It tells the story of what happens when Adam (Craig Chester), a recovering cocaine addict, and Steve (Malcolm Gets), a controlling perfectionist, try to make a relationship work.‘ Though on the surface they seem to not be very much alike, they have a lot more in common than they think.‘ Namely, a disastrous one night stand in the 80’s that they shared 17 years ago.
The hilarity of the film and its budding romance is reinforced by the presence of the men’s best friends.‘ Rhonda (Parker Posey), Adam’s lifelong friend, is an ex-obese stand-up comic who cannot move past her fat days and continues to open her acts with ‘I know what you’re thinking, she has a great personality.’‘ Steve’s roommate, Michael (Chris Kattan), is a couch-dwelling squatter who somehow manages to spark a romance between him and Rhonda.
The situations that the characters are in, for the most part, are utterly ridiculous.‘ Fortunately, the film backs up its silliness with a clever and sincere wit.‘
The major laugh-out-loud moment is the climax of the film when tensions erupt via an over-the-top hoedown, after which you will never look at line dancing the same way again.
Superficially, this film is all about the big belly laughs (for which there are many).‘ But somewhere in it exists a love story, which, gay or straight, is warm and wonderful to watch.‘ The story often borders on being saccharine and cheesy, but more often than not, it saves itself with its charming sweetness.‘
One of the most pleasant aspects of the film was the genuine chemistry between each of the two couples.‘
Though the central relationship in the film is a gay couple, I would be extremely hesitant to call it a ‘gay romantic comedy.’‘ For the most part, the events and conflicts that Adam and Steve experience are not about their sexuality.‘ The kinds of problems as well as highlights of their relationship could apply to any couple, gay or straight.‘ Also, it’s refreshing to see a story that is subversive and irreverent enough to center on a gay romance in which the players don’t end up alone or dead.
Silly and sincere, ridiculous and relevant, Adam and Steve is an uplifting romantic comedy that will have you laughing from beginning to end.